SANDAKAN – Sabah opposition party Warisan strongly denied allegations that it has received funds or has any ties with the biggest drug trafficking syndicate in the state.
While noting the widespread allegations made on social media and WhatsApp that Warisan has been receiving profits from the syndicate that has been operating in the state for eight years, party secretary-general Datuk Loretto Padua said it is an extreme political accusation aimed at tarnishing the reputation of the party and its leaders.
“Warisan firmly denies these ‘wild’ accusations and sees this as an extreme political accusation to damage the reputation of Warisan and its leaders.
“Hence, if this matter repeats, Warisan will not hesitate to take legal action against any party that links Warisan to any illegal activity or syndicate,” he said in a statement today.
Yesterday, Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay told a press conference in Bukit Aman that a non-government organisation founder with the title ‘Datuk’, believed to be the mastermind of a drug syndicate in Sabah, had been detained in the state on December 25.
The 40-year-old businessman was one of 10 people arrested for their suspected involvement in the drug syndicate, which was said to have been operating throughout Sabah since 2015.
The syndicate also owns 12 businesses, including those in tourism, construction, petrochemicals, oil, and gas, Ayob Khan said.
Following this announcement, a message went viral on WhatsApp claiming that an individual, with the title Datuk, in the syndicate had ties with Warisan leaders and was even involved in giving funds to the party.
It was also alleged that he had financially assisted Warisan and had financially supported a special officer of Warisan information chief, Datuk Azis Jamman, named Datuk Jasni Muhammad.
Meanwhile, Jasni shared on his Facebook that he had lodged a police report yesterday against the individuals who had made the accusations against him and Azis, stating that he is taking the matter to court to clear their names.
Azis, in a Facebook post, also said that the allegations were made by followers of Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS).
He claimed the allegations were not made for the first time, and he had lodged a police report when he was the deputy home minister from 2018 to 2020, urging police to investigate the suspect (the NGO founder) and conduct operations in several locations in Sabah where there were drug-selling activities.
“GRS cytro (cyber-troopers) tried to shift the people’s issues to these kinds of allegations to distract the people from the issues that are affecting their daily lives, such as the rise of goods prices, water and electricity supply problems, sugar and rice problems, road conditions problems, a lack of job opportunities, and so on.
“These cowards also do not use their personal (social media) accounts, and they use fake accounts because they are scared of being sued,” he said.
Azis also urged social media users to investigate the matter before sharing to avoid sharing false news. – December 27, 2023